Quotes by Martha Rainville

“I am very glad the Senate has done this. We need to approach this in a family-centered way if treatment is going to be effective for the Guard member and the family.”

“Its hard for a small state, particularly here in Vermont, where were all family. We all know each other.”

“Its with a tremendous amount of sadness and regret that I announce this morning weve lost another one of our great Green Mountain Boys.”

“Demanding the removal of Secretary Rumsfeld is not going to hasten the dismantling of the worldwide terror network or ensure security of our homeland, nor will it speed the process of turning responsibility for the security of Iraq over to the Iraqi defense forces.”

“You cant enjoy freedoms, you cant think about the quality of life of your citizens, you cant think of a future for your citizens or jobs or economic prosperity, life liberty and the pursuit of happiness, if you cant provide a level of security for the country itself.”

“The common denominator is its really all about people.”

“I think there are a lot of good ideas there. I think, again, progress has been impeded by the polarization of the issue. And we need to look at some short-term actions that we could take to improve the system, to start helping people have health care be more affordable and accessible, while working on a longer term solution _ which takes time, it takes consensus, it takes not worrying about who gets the credit.”

“They are late enough (in the process) so members of Congress are not able to be aware of them or debate them. Those are the ones that are vulnerable to abuse. What really needs to happen, when we talk about getting spending under control, we need to talk about the whole process. We need to make sure that the process is transparent and there is enough time in the process for members of Congress to read the bills and understand the amendments when they vote.”

“Having Congress or having other people call for him to be fired or call for him to resign would not be productive. Thats something really only the president should decide.”

“I think the military would benefit by a change in civilian leadership, but I think its important that we are cautious in how we effect that change. I think ... (Rumsfeld) should be encouraged to retire. I think he has done a number of good things for the military, particularly prior to Iraq, and we have to recognize the whole career of the person and acknowledge what he has done that is good and allow him to have a graceful retirement.”